Putin’s Top Aide Not Worried About Sanctions: I Don't Need A Visa To Listen To Tupac

A top aide for Russian President Vladimir Putin says he doesn’t care if his name is on the White House sanctions list because he only likes three Americans, all of whom are dead.

In fact, Vladislav Surkov told a Russian newspaper that the sanction is a “big honor” to him. The sanctions were announced Monday against individuals who contributed to the crisis in Ukraine.

"We are imposing sanctions on specific individuals for undermining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and government of Ukraine," President Barack Obama said. "We are making it clear that there are consequences for their actions."

“I see the decision by the administration in Washington as an acknowledgment of my service to Russia,” Surkov said. “It’s a big honor for me. I don’t have accounts abroad.”

“The only things that interest me in the U.S. are Tupac Shakur, Allen Ginsberg, and Jackson Pollock," he continued. "I don’t need a visa to access their work. I lose nothing."

Surkov’s comments come shortly after a Kremlin-backed television host warned that Moscow was capable of turning American “into radioactive ash.”

“Russia is the only country in the world realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash,” Dmitry Kiselyov said as he stood in front of an image of a nuclear mushroom cloud on Sunday.